After breaking away from a crumbling Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Belarus became increasingly aligned with Russia, unlike its neighbors. That bond strengthened as Russia waged its war against Ukraine.

Belarusian leader and Russian ally Alexander Lukashenko extended his 31-year rule on Monday after electoral officials declared him the winner of a presidential election that Western governments rejected as a sham.

Belarusians are voting in a closely-managed presidential election that is all but certain to extend the one-man rule of Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994 and Europe’s longest-serving leader.

The treaties with Iran and Belarus are different from the one Russia reached with North Korea, and there has been no attempt to link any of them.

Alexander Lukashenko, Europe’s longest-serving leader, has extended his 31-year rule in Belarus after being declared the winner of a presidential election that his exiled opponents and Western countries have denounced as a sham.

With many of his political opponents either jailed or exiled abroad, Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed “Europe’s last dictator,” is all but certain to add a seventh term.

Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maksim Ryzhenkov said in an interview with the Russian Izvestia newspaper.

People in Belarus and Russia, unlike people in many countries, have a voice, Ambassador of Belarus to Russia Aleksandr Rogozhnik said as he met with leader of the parliamentary faction of the New People Party Alexei Nechayev.

Near a border checkpoint between Belarus and Ukraine, anti-tank spikes and concrete pyramids block what was once a bustling road between two peaceful neighbours.

The Kremlin is trying to cripple YouTube in Russia, internet experts say, pushing some people to state-controlled domestic alternatives. But many Russians have found workarounds.

With The Recruit season 2 set for release on 30 January 2025, here's a season 1 recap with major plot points for you to get up to speed.